


3 Times Nora Broke Her Mother’s Heart

by xswestallen



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Grief/Mourning, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 07:03:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15967175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xswestallen/pseuds/xswestallen
Summary: Iris thought raising Nora without Barry would be her only heartbreak. She was wrong.





	3 Times Nora Broke Her Mother’s Heart

**1**

Iris turned to the next page of the photo album. She held it in front of Nora, who sat in her lap, eagerly asking about the story behind each picture. On this page was a collection of photos Joe took of Barry and Iris at the park one Spring break when they’d come home from college.

“These are some of my favorite pictures of me and your dad.” Iris told Nora.

“I like all of them.” Nora said.

Iris smiled. “I like all of them too.”

“There’s lots!”

“Yes, daddy and I liked to take pictures. He called it capturing the memories.”

Nora flipped to the next page herself. This one had photos of Barry and Joe at CCPD after Barry was hired as a CSI.

“This is where Paw Paw works.” Nora noted.

“That’s right. Daddy worked there too. He was a scientist that helped the police solve crimes.”

“Didn’t he solve the crimes as The Flash?” Nora asked.

“Yes, but he couldn’t solve every case alone.”

Nora turned to the next page. It was the team in Star Labs, Barry and Cisco goofing around, Barry and Iris in the speedlab, and Caitlin and Barry in the medbay.

“Team Flash!” Nora shreaked. “This is Team Flash, right mama?”

“It is.” Iris said before thinking. It would’ve been more accurate to say it _was_. Her eyes sparkled with tears as she looked at Barry in his favorite place. He was so happy being The Flash.

Iris missed him so much. His warm smile that made her feel like everything was ok even when it wasn’t was one of the things she missed most. But, she had Nora, who mirror that smile everyday.

Nora flipped through several pages quickly. When she’d reached the end of the book, she look up at Iris and asked, “Mama, why aren’t there picture of daddy and me?”

Iris didn’t know what to tell her daughter. The topic made Iris too weak and she needed to be strong for Nora. As Iris struggled to think of a way to answer, Nora asked another question.

“Did daddy love me?”

Iris cupped Nora’s face and whispered, “More than anything.”

“Then why did he leave before I was born?

“He didn’t want to.” Iris croaked. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “Your daddy was so excited to meet you, Nora. He talked about you everyday. He would tell everyone about how he was going to play with you, take you on adventures, teach you new things, and love you so much!”

“Are you sure he loved me?”

“I have never more been more sure of anything. Daddy loved you with every fiber of his being, Nora.” Iris blinked back her tears. “I know daddy would’ve given anything to be here right now and tell himself how much he loves you.”

Nora traced her finger over Barry’s face in one of the photos.

“I wish I could tell him I love too.”

**2**

 

“How was school today?” Iris asked, watching Nora get in the backseat of the car.

“Terrible.” Nora spat. She slammed the door closed.

“What happened?”

“All the other kids hate me.”

“I’m sure they don’t hate you, Nora. They just-”

“THEY DO!” Nora shouted, interrupting Iris. “None of them want to talk to me. The only time they do is to make fun of me. They call me names.”

Iris gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles. She had flashbacks to all the times she saw Barry bullied. She could stand up for him then. But now, Iris couldn’t protect the person she loved most. Her daughter had to face school without her.

“Don’t listen to them. They’re just jealous of you.”

“They’re not jealous, mom. They’re scared of me.”

Iris lowered her brows. “Why would they be scared of you?”

“Because I’m a meta.” Nora grunted. “They say I should be in juvie instead of our school.”

“That’s stupid.” Iris scoffed.

“It’s true.”

Iris gasped. “Nora! You know that’s not true! Not all metas are bad, there are so many who use their powers for good. Your dad-”

“He was The Flash, I know!” Nora said, exasperated. “But it’s not like I can tell anybody that. So, I’m just another freak.”

“You’re not a freak, baby.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one who has to live with these powers.” Nora hung her head. “It was bad enough dad gave me powers, but then he left me to deal with them alone.” She sighed.

Iris wanted to counter that. She wanted to show Nora what a gift being a speedster is and tell her how much the knowledge of his daughter being one weighed on Barry. But, she restrained herself. Sometimes she had to be Nora’s understanding mom and not Barry’s constant defender.

Nora stared out the window. She sighed, “Sometimes I wish I had a different dad.”

 

**3**

“Get out of my way.” Nora commanded.

“No.” Iris said definitely. “I won’t let you be this reckless. Did you learn nothing from the stories I told you about Flashpoint?”

“Maybe I’d learn more if I could hear it straight from dad.” Nora retorted. She walked up Iris. “Now, move.”

“How dare you talk to me like that. I’m your mother!”

“I’m not a baby anymore, mom. I’m an adult and a lot more powerful than you. There is nothing you can do to stop me from doing this.”

“Nora, it will be the greatest mistake of your life.” Iris warned.

Nora laughed coldly. “I don’t have a life! I’m a second class citizen, effectively a prisoner of the ant-metahuman task force. If I don’t save dad, people will never remember The Flash, that metas can be good.”

“But something else will happen, something more catastrophic.”

Nora looked at her mother with disgust. “I can’t believe you. My entire life you’ve been talking about how amazing dad was. How you miss him every hour and every minute. I have the ability to bring him back to you, but you won’t let me. Why? Do you not want to have him back? Are you afraid he won’t be everything you remember? Or, are you afraid the you that you are now won’t be what he remembers?”

Nora’s words were like a dagger to Iris’ heart. She was hurt and angry, but her maternal drive to help guide Nora was stronger. “The only thing I’m afraid of, Nora, is you having to live with crushing regret when things don’t turn out the way you think they will.”

“But, you’re fine with the crushing regret I’ll have if I don’t do this?”  
Nora reached for the doorknob but Iris hipchecked her hand out of the way. They look each other dead in the eyes, a small flicker of pity in Nora’s.

“I’m not sorry.” Nora said.

Those were the last words Iris heard her daughter say. A gust of wind blew past her and in a second, Iris was alone.


End file.
